I break my 12 months self imposed hiding because of HID— Jonathan

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said the death of Hannah Awolowo makes him break his 12 months self imposed hiding, He made the disclosure during condolence visit to the Ikenne home of the Awolowos, over the death of HID Awolowo.

Jonathan was among dignitaries, who visited the Ikenne home of the Awolowos to pay tributes to their departed matriarch, Hannah Idowu Dideolu, who passed on last Saturday.

The former President who arrived the Awolowo home at exactly 1:17pm was accompanied by his wife, Patience, a former leader in the House of Representatives, Mrs Mulikat Adeola-Akande and former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel among others.

While condoling with the family, the former president noted that HID Awolowo enjoyed a rare privilege of living extra 29 years, when compared to the biblical prescription of three scores and ten.

He further described her as a rare mother, whose milk of human kindness, milk of encouragement and milk of advice Nigerians still need.

“Within this period, myself and my wife have been hiding; we don’t even go out. We thought we’ll be hiding for at least 12 months. But in this particular case, we cannot hide. So, we’ve come for the condolence and to encourage our brothers and sisters that we are together,” he said.

“So, we know it would come for all of us one day and here we are today,” he said.

“We have been coming here because the former secretary to the government did mention that the last time I came here it was associated with the last presidential electioneering campaign. But before, I’ve been here severally to see mama in one way or the other,” the former president said.

“We are mourning her today; me and my wife, we are not mourning because mama has passed on. For me, we believe that it’s a rare privilege to add extra 29 years to the Biblical two scores and ten; it’s not easy.

“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have been mourning but mama was a rare mother. She was a woman of virtue described in the Bible and she was a mother to all of us; a mother that her milk of kindness we still need, her milk of encouragement we still need, her milk of advice we still need and today she’s no more with us.

“We, just like the immediate children, and indeed this country have missed her. God brought her for all of us. She just had to be the direct mother of few but she’s a mother to all. We shall mourn more than even the direct children would.”